What are sight words? I hear you ask. They are the words that we encounter most often in text, but they are difficult to sound out. These words are found in most pieces of writing your child will read and because they are difficult to sound out – and that spoils the flow of the reading – children learn to read these word by – drumroll please – sight!
This is the quickest and easiest way for your child to learn to read smoothly and with confidence.
So, which words are sight words? Well, below is a list of words that most children should be able to read, write and spell by the end of the first grade. Although, if your first grader is a bit ahead or a bit behind this list – that’s fine too – we all learn at our own pace and a joy of learning and confidence in your abilities is much more important than being able to perform to a timetable sent according to when you were born!
These are the sight words most first graders should be able to read at the end of their grade
- about
- after
- again
- also
- another
- any
- ask
- back
- because
- been
- before
- by
- could
- day
- each
- every
- find
- first
- from
- funny
- give
- going
- great
- had
- hers
- high
- house
- how
- if
- jump
- just
- keep
- kind
- know
- learn
- live
- long
- many
- may
- more
- much
- nice
- now
- old
- only
- or
- other
- over
- people
- put
- rain
- right
- should
- some
- than
- thank
- their
- them
- then
- these
- thing
- think
- use
- very
- walk
- want
- way
- went
- were
- when
- where
- which
- word
- work
- would
- write
- your
- yours
These are the words that most first graders should be able to read write & spell by the end of the first grade
- a
- all
- am
- an
- and
- any
- are
- as
- ask
- at
- ate
- away
- be
- because
- been
- before
- big
- black
- blue
- boy
- brown
- but
- by
- came
- can
- come
- day
- did
- do
- down
- eat
- eight
- find
- five
- for
- four
- from
- get
- girl
- go
- going
- good
- great
- green
- had
- has
- have
- he
- her
- here
- hers
- him
- his
- how
- if
- in
- into
- is
- it
- jump
- like
- little
- look
- make
- many
- me
- more
- much
- must
- my
- new
- nice
- nine
- no
- not
- now
- of
- on
- one
- only
- or
- orange
- other
- our
- out
- over
- people
- play
- please
- pretty
- purple
- put
- ran
- red
- run
- said
- saw
- say
- see
- seven
- she
- six
- small
- so
- some
- soon
- ten
- than
- thank
- that
- the
- them
- then
- there
- these
- they
- thing
- this
- three
- to
- too
- two
- up
- very
- walk
- want
- was
- we
- were
- what
- when
- where
- which
- white
- who
- why
- with
- went
- work
- yellow
- yes
- you
- you